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Making it better
November 6, 2007
I’m sitting in my car and staring forward at this scene. It’s not a bad-looking place. I’ve been here many times before and there are good memories.
But today I’d rather not be here. I had just come from a meeting that didn’t go particularly well. I’m sad. I throw my purse against the passenger side door and notice snowflakes beginning to fall. I’m severely under-dressed for the bitter weather and move to start the car. It sputters and fails. Yes.
I hate the thought of approaching and inconveniencing unknown passerby, or even worse, acquaintances, and call AAA to jump the battery. I receive a call moments later and a raspy voice notifies me, “I don’t have any guys in right now. We’ll give ya a call when someone comes back.” I attempt to conjure some heat from the vents but the little power that’s left fades quickly.
An hour passes. I feel the start of a headache. I still have an hour-long drive home and class in 25 minutes. Fifteen more minutes pass. My brain is pounding in several distinct points, forming a crown of pain around my head.
Finally, a call. His voice is surprisingly soft. He sounds my age.
“Rachel?”
“Yes, hi.”
“I’m on my way to your car right now. I’ll be there in five.”
“Yeah, great. Thank y…”
“Hey, I just want to make sure - are you warm?”
“…”
“I can bring you some cocoa.”
I’m smiling and comfortable on this ride home.
November 6th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Aww, that’s lovely. I hope he was cute, too.
(For knitting learnin’: http://www.knittinghelp.com/ is magic for those of us who don’t do so well with the written instructions or still illustrations alone. Videos! Woo!)
November 6th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Yes, I believe the correct term would be “lovely.”
Just like your writing.
November 6th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
its little acts of kindness like that, that can help get anyone thru a tough situation. i really like how that post was written.
November 7th, 2007 at 1:41 am
Awww. Sounds kind of like my experience in February. Except I had to call AAA 3 times to eventually get my car towed and it was the timing belt, not just a jump.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:00 am
That’s so nice, I hope he was cute, too. Kind of renews your faith in humanity, doesn’t it?
November 7th, 2007 at 5:07 am
Five bucks says *someone* is gonna start letting her car battery die in arbitrary Pittsburgh neighborhoods, just so she can get a free cup of cocoa…
November 7th, 2007 at 9:31 am
Awww the sweetness!
November 7th, 2007 at 11:09 am
This just makes me love Pittsburgh folks that much more.
November 7th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Oh, now I’m smiling too. That’s just so sweet.
November 7th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
he offered to bring you cocoa? ohhhh, ahhhh. that’s right up there with a foot massage for me. Was he single?
November 7th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Very sweet and the cocoa is icing on the cake.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Justin Kownacki - I like how you think.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
Thats so sweet. I love how it can just take one small act of consideration to cheer people up, and I’m going to try and do it more often (because you know that good karma’s gotta count for something, right? ;)
November 7th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
I’m a bit of a cynic so I think my first reaction would be to look around my car for a camera with a AAA sticker attached to the side of it.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Gwyn - Nice! lol.
November 7th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
WOW. That is beyond nice of him to offer to bring you some cocoa. That’s the type of thing that can make a very crappy day seem ok. :)
December 20th, 2007 at 11:35 am
[...] me coming back is the great way she presents her experiences. An especially memorable post is this one about when she was stranded and received some friendly [...]